5 Churn-Busting Tactics for Holiday Shoppers

Holiday sales are fast approaching, and the race is on to capture shoppers’ attention. After the initial purchase, the challenge lies in keeping these customers engaged long after the peak season bustle fades. For brands, this means preventing churn before it starts—through loyalty-focused strategies that turn first-time buyers into lifetime loyalists.

By blending rewards programs, behavioral retargeting, and a consistent omni-channel approach, brands can build connections that outlast December. Here are five proven tactics to reduce churn, each brought to life by real-world campaigns that inspired customer loyalty. 

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1. Motivate Engagement by Highlighting Loyalty Status

Regularly updating customers on their loyalty status keeps your brand top-of-mind and drives ongoing engagement. Whether it’s their points balance, closeness to the next tier, or available rewards, these reminders show customers they’re valued.

Take the NBA, where fan loyalty is central. To reward fans for completing key actions, the NBA partnered with Movable Ink to deliver personalized banners in their newsletter, The Zone. Each banner highlighted fans’ unique badge status—celebrating whether they became an NBA ID member, chose a favorite team, subscribed to League Pass, or became a season ticket holder. These regular updates helped fans feel seen and appreciated, strengthening their connection to the NBA.

The result? A 42% lift in CTR compared to the non-personalized version.

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‍2. Strengthen Retargeting with Behavioral Tracking

Behavioral retargeting is crucial for re-engaging customers who haven’t yet converted. By tracking browsing activity and preferences, brands can catch customers’ with personalized follow-ups that are both relevant and timely. These retargeting efforts provide gentle nudges to bring customers back into the purchase path.

Fossil Group leveraged Movable Ink’s behavioral tracking to capture categories recently viewed by shoppers. They then incorporated these categories into their Dynamic Content Engine emails, highlighting product recommendations that reflect each shopper’s unique tastes. 

Marketer’s Insight: “Our Dynamic Content Engine email is 100% automated. It’s ‘set it and forget it,’ but it’s personalized and targeted. Everything about it—the headline, the images—is powered by Movable Ink.”
– Stephanie Turner, Director, Global CRM, Fossil Group

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3. Highlight Unused Benefits to Reaffirm Loyalty Program Value

One of the best ways to keep customers engaged is to remind them of their unused benefits. Personalized checklists or loyalty banners that display their current points, expiring rewards, and exclusive offers remind customers of the value they’ve already accrued and the potential to gain even more benefits. 

Lenovo included dynamic banners in their emails, showing North American loyalty members their points balance and soon-to-expire rewards. By working with Oracle CrowdTwist and Movable Ink, Lenovo ensured each banner is accurate and specific to each customer, helping reduce customer complaints and improve program engagement. With this transparency, Lenovo kept customers engaged, informed, and incentivized to remain loyal.

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4. Create Consistency Across Channels to Build Trust

Maintaining consistent messaging across channels reassures customers that they’ll receive a seamless experience, whether online, in-app, or in-store. This not only reinforces the brand’s credibility but also simplifies interactions, making it easier for customers to stay in the know.

JetBlue did just that with their personalized campaign promoting upgrades to the JetBlue Plus Card. Powering five email variations based on membership status, JetBlue dynamically displayed each recipient’s name, upcoming trips, and perks like a free checked bag or discounts on in-flight purchases—all tailored using first-party data. 

Their marketing team took this experience one step further by creating a coordinated in-app message to keep customers informed on mobile.

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5. Reignite Interest With Personalized Recommendations

Welcoming back lapsed customers can be a challenge, but including product recommendations based on purchase behavior can rekindle interest. By aligning suggestions with each customer’s past preferences, brands can make customers feel remembered and understood, reigniting the spark for their next purchase.

Virgin Atlantic used this approach in their Black Friday campaign, sending personalized emails with a digital boarding pass that included each customer’s name, origin, and a destination they’d previously browsed. The boarding pass theme created a sense of anticipation and urgency, resulting in a 285% lift in bookings and a 241% increase in revenue.

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Go Beyond the Holidays for Long-Term Loyalty

With these churn-prevention tactics, brands can build connections that last all year. Movable Ink’s suite of personalization tools equips marketers to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Start implementing these strategies today, and watch your seasonal shoppers evolve into year-round brand advocates.

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